Llanelli Stradey Park Hotel: Andrew RT Davies understands concern over asylum plans

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives has said he would be "concerned" if he lived in the village set to house more than 200 asylum seekers.

Andrew RT Davies was responding to UK government plans to use Stradey Park Hotel in Furnace, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, to house up to 207 people from 3 July.

Concerns over suitability and lack of information have been raised by locals.

But the Home Office said it is necessary as asylum costs £6m a day.

There are also proposals for 400 asylum seekers to be placed at a site in Flintshire.

Mr Davies told Wales Live that the lack of information from his own party, who are in power in Westminster, would make him worry if he lived in Furnace.

He said: "Of course I'd be concerned because something is happening in my local community, if I lived in Furnace, that I do not believe I've been informed about... and ultimately I do not want this to go on in a hotel which provides local employment and local facilities.

"But you can't divorce it from the national picture which is obviously the escalation in the number of people coming across the channel."

He added he could not clarify how many asylum seekers would be coming to Llanelli, or the possible site in Flintshire, because he is not a member of parliament.

"What I do believe is what we've got to do is to make sure that where people are located, that local consent is sought, that information is provided to local residents, and people aren't imposed on communities because that's unacceptable," he said.

Mr Davies described stories of people being housed in unsuitable accommodation as "not acceptable", adding: "Ultimately when people are housed they need to be safe, they need to be secure and they need to know that their application for asylum has been processed in a timely manner."

He said at the "root" of the issue is "the inability to get on top of the boats crossing the channel".

Llanelli Member of the Senedd (MS) Lee Waters said he worried "far-right groups" with their own agenda, and a lack of official communication from the Home Office about plans, had created tension in Llanelli.

The Home Office said: "There are currently more than 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £6m a day.

"All asylum seekers in hotels are provided with full board accommodation, with three meals a day served as well as all other essentials, including cash payments where eligible.

"Asylum seekers are not detained at hotels and are free to leave their accommodation."

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